Jiu Jitsu is bad for your body.

I find no-gi to be much easier on the body than gi. It's easier on your fingers and your neck and spine, because unless inverting is a big part of your game you rarely get stacked. It's also much easier to make small adjustments to relieve pressure whereas in the gi as you correctly note people can put you in a terrible position and just hold you there. I find the sort of constant tension that's necessary in the gi much more stressful than the more fluid positions in no-gi, even though no-gi can often require somewhat better cardio as opposed to isometric strength (though of course you need quite a bit of both for either type of training).

I think I recall you being a brown belt who is mostly showing up to gi class to get "face time" with your instructor to get your black; you otherwise are shifting to nogi I believe? Might have been on reddit, in which case I am assuming you are both the same person.

This is pretty much what I'm planning on doing. Get my black belt from a gi place then maybe hop over to 10thp. I just don't think gi is sustainable for my body. Plus I can only be trying to get out of worm guard so many times before I start wondering what I'm doing with my life.
 
I think I recall you being a brown belt who is mostly showing up to gi class to get "face time" with your instructor to get your black; you otherwise are shifting to nogi I believe? Might have been on reddit, in which case I am assuming you are both the same person.

This is pretty much what I'm planning on doing. Get my black belt from a gi place then maybe hop over to 10thp. I just don't think gi is sustainable for my body. Plus I can only be trying to get out of worm guard so many times before I start wondering what I'm doing with my life.

I roll in the gi once a week, other than that everything's no gi. I have no interest in the gi meta-game, I much prefer the wrestling + submission style of no-gi.
 
I roll in the gi once a week, other than that everything's no gi. I have no interest in the gi meta-game, I much prefer the wrestling + submission style of no-gi.

How did you swing this?

It sounds like you train at an MMA place where many others share this preference.

I train at a gi school and am having much more difficulty facilitating this type of environment in a way that isn't expensive or time intensive.

The easiest route would probably be for me to move to a place that aligns with my interests.
 
The easiest route would probably be for me to move to a place that aligns with my interests.

Usually this is the best option if you have it available.

Where I train is pretty mixed, but there is definitely a no gi only crew and a gi only crew as well.

The no gi only I understand a little more because they probably don't own gis, just aren't interested, etc. The gi only crew I don't really get because it's not hard to just take the gi top off occasionally. I like gi more, but I also don't mind going no gi either.

One time a gi only guy accidentally came on a no gi day. He realized he mixed it up and said he didn't have his stuff for no gi. I said no big deal; you already drove all the way out here. Just wear your gi and train anyway.

Instead the dude snuck out the back door! He straight up snuck out of the gym while nobody was looking rather than train in a no gi class. He just drove back home. I still give him crap about that one.
 
I saw a meme about this recently. Something like: "hard pill to swallow: getting better at BJJ makes your body get worse." Kind of ironic if you think about it.
 
How did you swing this?

It sounds like you train at an MMA place where many others share this preference.

I train at a gi school and am having much more difficulty facilitating this type of environment in a way that isn't expensive or time intensive.

The easiest route would probably be for me to move to a place that aligns with my interests.

I do what I want. And I'm far enough along (been a brown belt for 3.5 years or so at this point) that my coach is going to promote me anyway. Plus I roll with some of his MMA clients to help them get ready for fights when they're in camp, so it's a win-win. My school is primarily gi, but my coach also runs the BJJ program at a very legit MMA gym and so those guys come over and cross train and I go over there sometimes.
 
Man, much of this rings true. I'm a 41 year old brown belt. I've had two dislocated ribs in the last 6 months. One was a reaggravation of an old injury, the other, holy shit, I was on top clock choking a guy and then pop. Of course, I finished the round which made it worse.

But in the 6 weeks I've been off the mats healing from this last one, holy shit. My knees feel decent. My shoulders are good. My hands. Holy hell. My hands feel amazing.

That pain that is in my fingers all day long is subsided and I forget that normally, they just hurt all the time.

Combat training is awesome and life wouldn't be complete without it, but fuck. It's a hard road to hoe the older we get.
 
Interesting that some of you feel like nogi is easier on the body. It's the complete opposite for me. Most of my injuries were in nogi and I come out of most sessions with a stiff neck and a sore upper back from the chokes and choke attempts. In the gi I mostly feel fine. The only time my fingers hurt at all was last Fall when I trained 14 days in a row just for the heck of it. Otherwise, it's much much easier on my joints.
 
I just hit 7 years training and 38 years old this month and all these stories make me feel very lucky. I have had a few significant injuries over the years but nothing catastrophic or major. Part of that may be due to the fact that I've never trained full-time I average about 3 hours over 2 classes each week. I keep improving but competing doesn't go well. I have small aches and pains but nothing that really interferes in my life

BJJ has made me healthier by far and the price hasn't been any worse than many of the other physical activities I see people doing to get fit. Overall it's been an overwhelming positive.
 
I just hit 7 years training and 38 years old this month and all these stories make me feel very lucky. I have had a few significant injuries over the years but nothing catastrophic or major. Part of that may be due to the fact that I've never trained full-time I average about 3 hours over 2 classes each week. I keep improving but competing doesn't go well. I have small aches and pains but nothing that really interferes in my life

BJJ has made me healthier by far and the price hasn't been any worse than many of the other physical activities I see people doing to get fit. Overall it's been an overwhelming positive.

You are at a chill gym then.
 
42 this year.
Judo 3rd dan and BJJ brown.

Living in Brazil at the moment and doing 3x wrestling, 3x nogi, 2x gi, 1x judo a week, besides weights.
Planning on getting my BB by the end of this year and then switch to 3x wrestling/ nogi, 1x judo, 3x powerlifting, with the emphasize on coaching instead of winning rolls.

My last competition was last year (judo) and Im not planning to compete anymore.
The organization of events and coaching is a lot more fun for me than competing and knowing I cannot bring my best game anymore.

Injuries... since most of my efforts are focused on the educational part of grappling, I am doin my best to help students to build habits amd bodies, that are more durable and geared towards the sport they practice, so they can enjoy it a lot longer.

People around me find it difficult to believe Im 42 this year and Im still capable of outgrappling some seasonal competitors in their 20s, but the price I pay is that I can do it once a week and then pick carefully my partners for the rest of the week.

Grappling will cripple you, if you are wreckless. Will also help you stay in good shape until certain age. After that, you better had some good warmup habbits and drills, to prepare and protect your body for the grind, while you were a beginner and now you add chiropractic sessions a few times a month.
 
Usually this is the best option if you have it available.

Where I train is pretty mixed, but there is definitely a no gi only crew and a gi only crew as well.

The no gi only I understand a little more because they probably don't own gis, just aren't interested, etc. The gi only crew I don't really get because it's not hard to just take the gi top off occasionally. I like gi more, but I also don't mind going no gi either.

One time a gi only guy accidentally came on a no gi day. He realized he mixed it up and said he didn't have his stuff for no gi. I said no big deal; you already drove all the way out here. Just wear your gi and train anyway.

Instead the dude snuck out the back door! He straight up snuck out of the gym while nobody was looking rather than train in a no gi class. He just drove back home. I still give him crap about that one.

Wow. I didnt know purist gi vs nogi groups like that could exist at a single gym. I dont understand what the big deal really is, just train both. I prefer to train gi but i find both to be fun. I would train 3 days gi and 2 days nogi if it was up to me.
 
It certainly hurt me knees. They’re toast now.
 
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I’ve been injured for the past 5 months or so, im 38, damn I’m old.. and I have trained like 3 or 4 times in these past 5 months... in don’t know what will happen to me... but I got a bulged disk on the l4 l5 that just keeps on fucking with me... I feel fin and every time I come back, shit gets worse, numbed legs and stuff. Doc says I should quit Bjj, i can’t see my life out of this sport, that will have a mayor impact on my life...

Same boat pretty much.

I don’t give a FUK what other grapplers say, I’ve competed in wrestling and BJJ long enough and old enough to know that for every 60yr old still training and hanging with spazzing blues, there are thousands of guys in their late 30’s and 40’s busted up and still going... But I’m feeling it now and have been, sooner or later an injury bad enough to severely ruin my old age year lurks around the corner. For god’s sake, the nature of BJJ is hyper extension or contortion of joints.

With all respect, we’ve already put miles on our body, miles we will never heal from.

Being truly old will suck, and though I love BJJ it is not a healthy endeavor. People say “It beats being on a couch doing nothing.”

Yeah, but who says you gotta do nothing? LOL, brisk walking is actually good for you and your body. Not that I’m in any hurry to brisk walk.
 
Mid forties here.


If I don't do bjj, I get sore cooking dinner. If I do bjj, then I get progressively more injuries, slowly.
For me, problem is I hate all other exercise.

Also I know lots of you say gi is more injuries, but I say the opposite mostly because of leg locks. I find there no gi lends itself to the leg lock game a lot more and leg lock people see themselves as dds types and prefer no gi.

Now, I might be bad at leg locks but I think traditional pass and submit lends itself to less injuries. I mean I could tap anytime somebody even tries for an ankle lock but then I might as well not spar. Just my opinion.
 
Mid forties here.


If I don't do bjj, I get sore cooking dinner. If I do bjj, then I get progressively more injuries, slowly.
For me, problem is I hate all other exercise.

Also I know lots of you say gi is more injuries, but I say the opposite mostly because of leg locks. I find there no gi lends itself to the leg lock game a lot more and leg lock people see themselves as dds types and prefer no gi.

Now, I might be bad at leg locks but I think traditional pass and submit lends itself to less injuries. I mean I could tap anytime somebody even tries for an ankle lock but then I might as well not spar. Just my opinion.

jesus no...

just dont roll with hh, pretty simple.

I train 100% no gi, but we, unless is agreed before the roll, dont do hh. Gi is defenetely harder on your body, someone whos good at the gi can twist your bady quite easily in not very fun ways.
 
There must be a scientific method to create the perfect amount of intensity for your current state of health.
At, 51, I still feel very healthy. I plan to keep going hard at the right time. My hypothesis is that decreasing intensity of training will lengthen the jiu Jitsu lifespan.
 
I think I recall you being a brown belt who is mostly showing up to gi class to get "face time" with your instructor to get your black; you otherwise are shifting to nogi I believe? Might have been on reddit, in which case I am assuming you are both the same person.

This is pretty much what I'm planning on doing. Get my black belt from a gi place then maybe hop over to 10thp. I just don't think gi is sustainable for my body. Plus I can only be trying to get out of worm guard so many times before I start wondering what I'm doing with my life.

My coach will only promote, for purple belt and up, people that show constant progress and dedication. That means that you need to go to class, open mats... at least 4 times a week. With our schedule this means that you're gonna get at least one gi class.

It's not a written rule but we all see the pattern, guys that just go to 2-3 times a week or just to the no gi classes will get their blue belt after 2 years but will stall there as perennial blue belts.

My coach is a strong believer that no gi will help you in your gi game, but you need to do some gi classes also.
 
jesus no...

just dont roll with hh, pretty simple.

I train 100% no gi, but we, unless is agreed before the roll, dont do hh. Gi is defenetely harder on your body, someone whos good at the gi can twist your bady quite easily in not very fun ways.

You're right, if you discard heel hooks, the leg game isn't that bad for your knees, if you're not stupid and tap at the right time, knee bars and ankle locks aren't dangerous at all, you have time to see it coming and if they don't crank it stupidly it's pretty safe.

I've had a lot more injuries and discomfort from cranked guillotines, kimuras, bow and arrows...
 
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